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Clinical Pakistan keep World Cup hopes alive; Bangladesh knocked out
A complete all-round performance from Pakistan enabled them to register a crushing seven wicket win against Bangladesh at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday (October 23).
The game was set up by Pakistan’s pace trio who shared eight wickets between them to skittle Bangladesh out for 204. Comeback-man Fakhar Zaman then blazed his way to a 74-ball 81 and his rapid century stand with Abdullah Shafique (68 off 69 balls) allowed Pakistan to get a huge net-run -rate boost. Meanwhile, the defeat has officially knocked Bangladesh out of the tournament.
With a not-so-threatening target to chase, it was Pakistan’s game to lose, given that the pitch had started to ease out under lights. The ball was coming onto the bat nicely and with Eden’s quick outfield, Zaman couldn’t have asked for better conditions on his return. Two imperious cross-batted sixes against Taskin Ahmed signalled his intentions and he was on a six-hitting spree even after the first Powerplay was over. His partner Shafique was relatively subdued but dished out his own set of classy strokes as the opening pair made short work of Bangladesh’s bowling unit.
Runs started to come at breakneck speed especially after the first ten overs and it was evident that Pakistan would want to finish the game quickly. Zaman and Shafique played to the plan perfectly as the platform was set for a brisk finish. Both of them along with skipper Babar Azam perished in a bid to hasten the finish, gifting Mehidy Hasan three scalps in the process but the result was never in doubt. Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed gave the final touches to the game as Pakistan prevailed with 105 balls to spare. It was a ruthless run chase from Babar’s men although the job was virtually done at the halfway mark by their bowlers.
Opting to bat, Bangladesh produced another underwhelming performance with the bat. Shaheen Afridi dented them early with the twin strikes of Tanzid Hasan and Najmul Hossain Shanto to set the tone for Pakistan. Haris Rauf then joined in with the big breakthrough of Mushfiqur Rahim to have Bangladesh tottering at 23/3. A crisp 79-run stand between Litton Das and Mahmudullah promised to put Bangladesh on course towards a strong score but once that partnership was broken, the innings went into a shell. Mahmudullah looked in good touch, as did Litton but Bangladesh needed one of them to bat very deep into the innings.
After their dismissals, the innings stagnated and while Shakib Al Hasan did get a start, his stay at the crease was very scratchy. Pakistan’s pacers were relentless as they hit the right lengths to trouble Bangladesh’s batters. Apart from Afridi and Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr also sent in a searing set of spells with his reverse-swinging final set being the highlight. There was no respite for Bangladesh who only got past 200 thanks to Mehidy’s cameo towards the end. The score was never going to trouble Pakistan who polished off the chase with ease.
Brief scores:
Bangladesh 204 in 45.1 overs (Mahmudullah 56, Litton Das 45; Shaheen Afridi 3-23, Mohammad Wasim Jr 3-31) lost to Pakistan 205/3 in 32.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 81, Abdullah Shafique 68; Mehidy Hasan Miraz 3-60) by seven wickets
A Hong Kong court jailed pro democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai for 20 years on Monday after he was found guilty of national security offences last December
This is the harshest sentence under the controversial national security law, which China says is necessary for the city’s stability
Lai, who is a British citizen, was one of the loudest critics of Beijing, often wielding his pro-democracy paper, Apple Daily, as a tool of protest
Six former executives of the paper were also jailed on Monday – from six years and nine months to 10 years
Hailed a hero by the pro-democracy movement, Lai is seen as a traitor by Beijing. He has always denied the charges against him
The UK calls for the Chinese government to release Lai, saying it will “rapidly engage further” with Beijing. But Hong Kong’s chief executive welcomes the sentence, saying Lai used “used Apple Daily to poison the minds of citizens”.
Lai’s son, Sebastien, tells the BBC his father’s punishment is “basically a death sentence”.
(BBC)
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza decided to field first against Oman in the men’s T20 World Cup match at the SSC in Colombo. Both teams were pleased to arrive in Sri Lanka early to get themselves attuned to the conditions.
Zimbabwe have Blessing Muzarabani back in the squad after he missed the tri-series in Pakistan in November.
Oman, meanwhile, include 44-year-old Aaamir Kaleem the oldest player in the tournament – after he came into the side in place of Hasnain Shah, who was injured after the squad was named.
Zimbabwe return to the tournament after missing out on the previous edition in West Indies and the United States of America. They had made it to the Super 12s of the 2022 T20 World Cup but failed to progress through the qualifiers for the 2024 tournament. They completed qualification alongside Namibia; Brian Bennett was the tournament’s top run-scorer, while Brad Evans and Richard Ngarava were among the leading wicket-takers.
Zimbabwe are bolstered by the return of Graeme Cremer, whose November 2025 comeback marked the longest gap between T20I appearances.
Oman are one of three qualifiers from the Asia-Pacific region, alongside Nepal and the UAE. They have previously appeared in the 2016, 2021, and 2024 editions of the T20 World Cup.
Oman: Jatinder Singh (capt), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza, Wasim Ali, Karan Sonavale, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Sufyan Mehmood, Nadeem Khan, Shah Faisal, Shakeel Ahmad
Zimbabwe: Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Dion Myers, Brendan Taylor (wk), Sikandar Raza (capt), Ryan Burl, Tashinga Musekiwa, Brad Evans, Wellington Masakadza, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani
Scotland may have suffered a blip the last time they faced Italy in a T20I but ensured they picked up the first points of their 2026 T20 World Cup campaign after a dominant performance at Eden Gardens. George Munsey’s 54-ball 84, supported by cameos from Brandon McMullen and Michael Leask, followed by Leask’s four-wicket haul helped Scotland spoil Italy’s debut in the tournament. The 73-run win gave Scotland two points after their defeat to West Indies in Kolkata two days ago.
Brief scores:
Scotland 207 for 4 in 20 overs (George Munsey 84, Michael Jones 37, Brandon McMullen 41, Richie Berrington 15, Michael Leask 22*; Ali Hasan 1-21, Grant Stewart 1-44, Thomas Draca 1-37, JJ Smuts 1-38) beat Italy 134 in 16.4 overs (Anthony Mosca 13, JJ Smutts 22, Harry Manenti 52; Michael Leask 4-17, Brad Currie 1-12, Brad Wheal 1-29, Mark Watt 2-24, Oliver Davidson 1-33 ) by 73 runs
(Cricinfo)
Hong Kong court jails media tycoon and British citizen Jimmy Lai for 20 years
Muzarabani returns as Zimbabwe opt to bowl against Oman
Munsey and Leask spoil Italy’s T20 World Cup debut2
Italy captain Wayne Madsen injures shoulder in T20 World Cup opener
Canada look for early splash against favourites South Africa
Italy opt to bowl; Scotland play Brad Wheal
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